2013 Leaf "S" - Unreliable OBC (OnBoard Charger)

[henrysunset]

I am in the unfortunate position of having an otherwise good condition 2013 Leaf (~80k miles) with a happy battery pack (only one bar missing), but the OBC is starting to fail.

Symptoms/Issues:
1. About 1/25 times that I try to turn on the car, it will only turn on halfway - the accessories light up but no 'boot sound' and I can not go into Forward or Reverse - I can't go anywhere because the car isn't completely turned on.

I believe that every time this has happened is immediately after unplugging the car from our 240 outlet at home - which is a reliable ClipperCreek model that's hardwired to house by a professional.

2. I have also experienced a handful of cases where the car would not charge when plugged in to the outlet (maybe 5 times over 2 months) and a couple times (2-3 times) where it started charging but cut off before 100%.


I got the runaround from the dealership, but they finally took me seriously and gave me a loaner car so they could debug further. I do not think they ever did manage to repro the issue themselves, but came to the unfortunate conclusion that the OBC needs to be replaced. I was quoted about 3500$, and worse still - the part is on backorder without an ETA.

I have even reached out to Nissan Customer Care, and to make a long story short, their regional specialist took a long time to get back to me and offered nothing whatsoever to help.

Questions / Next Steps:
I am in the Seattle Metro Area, and I would like to have another 5+ years of use out of this car. I find the 3500$ price tag unpalatable, and the lack of an ETA unsatisfactory.

1. Does anyone have the part ID / number for the charging unit that I need for a 2013 "s" Model - which is only 3.3kWh charging speed and no Fast Charging?

2. Does anyone have the part ID for the SL+ OBC that also has 6.6kWH and fast charging. I know the dealer won't do the swap, but I believe it is a drop-in compatible part.

3. Can anyone confirm personally that an "S" can accept a 6.6 charger w/out other modifications?

4. Does anyone know of a shop locally which would be well suited to making the repair, especially if I am able to source the charger part for a reasonable cost - either new, or pulled from a junker.


There is good info including a video on making the changes to a 2011-2012, but nothing I could find online for the 2013. Your assistance is most appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[goldbrick]

Dala (the Great) did a video where he swapped a 6.6kW OBC into a car that didn't have one. It was a big job but he did it and documented it well. I'm not familiar with the older Leafs but I know that some of the earlier ones used the older battery technology from 2011-2012 while the later ones used better batteries. I don't know whether anything else changed mid-model year but hopefully the OBC's interchange.

Do you really need 6.6kW charging? Just swapping the OBC with an identical model would be much easier, IMO. If a 2011-2012 model fits there should be a lot of used ones around since those cars are getting old and their batteries stunk.

 

[henrysunset]

Do you really need 6.6kW charging? Just swapping the OBC with an identical model would be much easier, IMO. If a 2011-2012 model fits there should be a lot of used ones around since those cars are getting old and their batteries stunk.

No, I do not need 6.6kW charging, I simply need reliable charging and do not want to pay an arm and a leg to address reliability issues. I also (unfortunately) can't use high-speed charging hardware to bypass the issue with 110/220 charging - since I don't have a high-speed charging port.

I have a 2013, which (I believe) is incompatible with that more readily available 2011-2012 OBC module. hence the desire to learn about the exact part ID's needed for 2013 era cars, so I can try to find a reclaimed part for a much better price.

---tom

 

[LeftieBiker]

The very first thing you need here is a good, accurate diagnosis. Dealership Techs swap out assemblies until the problem is fixed... or the customer has abandoned the effort. They are often wrong in their initial diagnosis, but the methodology is self-reinforcing: they will replace larger and larger assemblies until there is nothing larger left to replace, then, if the issues isn't, they will shrug and walk away, leaving you with a huge bill and a worse-off car. You want to find a good Leaf Tech, and have them check the Power Distribution Module, for a start. Swap in a different (new if possible) 12 volt battery. Other will weigh in with other avenues to explore - I'm very tired.

 

[henrysunset]

Swap in a different (new if possible) 12 volt battery.

The 12v was replaced a month ago and is known good - that would have been a good idea to check otherwise.

Eager to hear other ideas or your ideas after you are able to rest.

 

[goldbrick]

Before going any farther I'd spend the $10 to get LeafSpyPro to read and clear any trouble codes. The techs may have cleared any pre-existing codes (or not) but if the problem is chronic it will almost certainly log a code in the car. That would help a lot to narrow down the possible problems and isolate what is at fault.

Here's the thread where Dala documented adding the 6.6kW charger to a car without one. There are 6.6kW chargers that don't include CHAdeMO so maybe this isn't exactly what you are looking for but it should give you an idea of what it takes to change a OBC.

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=611940#p611940

This thread is also very informative: https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=21106

 

[coulomb]

Another thought: repair the existing OBC. It's not as convenient, as you can't use car till the job is done, and you aren't guaranteed a fix. But replacing nearly every largish electrolytic capacitor is likely to fix it. Perhaps $50 plus labor.

 

[henrysunset]

Another thought: repair the existing OBC. It's not as convenient, as you can't use car till the job is done, and you aren't guaranteed a fix. But replacing nearly every largish electrolytic capacitor is likely to fix it. Perhaps $50 plus labor.

This has crossed my mind, but the labor cost is significant as this is probably a bit beyond my abilities - at least given the realities of work and a 4-year-old in the house. I can solder, but not well - and without knowing which caps are needed until I open it up, I'd be waiting for the parts to arrive. If we had three cars and I could treat this as a hobby vehicle for a month, I might try it.

I do not know if any shops in the Seattle area would be willing to take on this project. (We desperately need the EV equivalent of the greasy discount mechanics in a less expensive part of town. And I say this with 100% respect for the hard working folks in those shops keeping older cars on the road!)

---tom

 

[lemsteraak]

Maybe a bit more diagnostic work is needed here. The fact that sometimes you can't get the Leaf into drive 1 in 25 times is a symptom. The charger not working sometimes is another symptom.

I'm thinking that it might possibly be a control for the battery. Is it possible to get a LeafSpy and get the codes, especially on the one in 25 times it doesn't go into drive? My thinking is that the battery goes off line, same as when it doesn't charge. The charger may be fine but the line from the charger to the battery is not connected.

 

[lemsteraak]

I don't know if you are still with us ..... My thought is the traction battery isolates if the system senses anything serious. It is a good,, if you are in an accident, the first responders will disconnect the 12v battery, wait 1/2 minute and then rescue you.

If you can have someone read the system's trouble codes using LeafSpy or a code reader, it will aid in our diagnosis.